1. Cross-Reference to Related Applications
The present patent application is one of a group of copending applications which concern the same overall personal computer system but which individually claim different inventive concepts embodied in such personal computer system. These related patent applications are specifically incorporated by reference herein, and are more particularly described as follows:
(1) Application Ser. No. 07/854,171, entitled "Method for Providing Conditional Cascading in a Computer System", the inventors being Bloomfield et al.; PA1 (2) Application Ser. No. 07/854,257, entitled "Method for Providing Size Adjustment for a Maximized Window in a Computer System Graphical User Interface", the inventor being Bloomfield; PA1 (3) Application Ser. No. 07/855,369, entitled "Palette Manager In A Graphical User Interface Computer System", the inventors being Bloomfield et al.; PA1 (4) Application Ser. No. 07/996,983, U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,550, entitled "User-Modifiable Popup Menus For Object Oriented Behavior", the inventor being Bloomfield; PA1 (5) Application Ser. No. 07/996,223, entitled "Method Of Generating A Hierarchical Window List In A Graphical User Interface", the inventors being Bloomfield et al.; PA1 (6) Application Ser. No. 07/993,875, entitled "Apparatus And Method For Manipulating An Object In A Computer System Graphical User Interface" now abandoned, the inventors being Bloomfield et al.; and PA1 (7) Application Ser. No. 07/855,366, entitled "Method For Providing A Readily Distinguishable Template And Means Of Duplication Thereof In A Computer System Graphical User Interface" filed 20 Mar. 1992, the inventors being Bloomfield et al. PA1 1. Technical Field
This invention relates to personal computer systems and in particular to a method and device for improving a graphical user interface (GUI) on a personal computer system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Personal computer systems in general and IBM personal computers in particular have attained widespread use in contemporary society. Personal computer systems can usually be defined as a desktop, floor standing, or portable microcomputer that consists of a system unit having a single system processor, a display monitor, a keyboard, one or more diskette drives, a fixed disk storage, and an optional printer. One of the distinguishing characteristics of these systems is the use of a motherboard or system planar to electrically connect these components together. These systems are designed primarily to give independent computing power to a single user and are inexpensively priced for purchase by individuals or small businesses.
Examples of such personal computer systems are IBM's PERSONAL COMPUTER AT, IBM's PERSONAL SYSTEM/2 Models 25, 30, 35, 40 SX, 55 SX, 57 SX, 70, 80, 90 and 95, and IBM PERSONAL SYSTEM/1 computers. These systems can be classified into two general families. The first family, usually referred to as Family I Models, use a bus architecture exemplified by the IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER AT and other "IBM compatible" machines. The second family, referred to as Family II Models, use IBM's MICRO CHANNEL bus architecture exemplified by IBM's PERSONAL SYSTEM/2 Models 55 SX through 95. Beginning with the earliest personal computer system of the Family I models, such as the IBM Personal Computer, it was recognized that the operating system would be of utmost importance. Realizing that market acceptance was a primary goal, IBM chose a rather simple text oriented operating system which was suited for the level of hardware technology of the time. The operating system chosen was named DOS which is the acronym for disk operating system. The limited objectives for DOS at the time were non-cryptic commands, English language error messages (instead of error codes, small memory size (12 Kbyte) and reasonable performance. DOS served well for the Family I machines and even into the basic Family II models, but as memory and hardware prices declined and performance increased a more user friendly intuitive operating system was needed. Beginning in 1986, IBM started development of a graphical user interface (GUI) designed to mask the complexity of the hardware technology advances and present to the user an intuitive, flexible, and easy-to-use system. This operating system was named OS/2 and was developed for the more advanced technology of the Family II models.
Additionally, other manufactures have investigated and used other types of GUI systems. One of the earliest in the personal computing area was Xerox's STAR system that presented the user with icons representing a particular operation or software application. Later, APPLE's Macintosh system added features such as windows and drag and drop to further the intuitive nature of the graphical user interface for APPLE's line of computers. Presently, MICROSOFT's WINDOWS provides a graphical user interface on IBM compatible machines.
With GUI systems, the computer system is controlled using a pointing device such as a mouse. The pointing device controls the location of a pointer that appears on the screen of the computer's display device. Elements on the screen such as icons, which are graphical representations of various modules such as disk drives, applications and documents, or windows, which are rectangular areas on the screen in which applications or documents can be viewed, may be manipulated using the mouse. In this way, the underlying devices which the elements represent may be controlled.
As GUI systems developed, producing the underlying elements such as windows and icons has become well known. In fact, publicly available tools such as icon and window editors are now available to actually create the visual display. For example, Conklin, OS/2 Notebook, (Microsoft Press, 1990) pp. 159-255 discusses OS/2 software tools.
As new models of the personal computer family have been introduced, enhancement of the OS/2 operating system has become possible. One of the major features of the OS/2 Version 2.0 operating system is a workplace shell featuring a desktop metaphor. Briefly, the desktop metaphor presents the user with the look of a desktop. Devices such as a modem or printer are represented by icons. Computer files can appear as icons grouped together into folders. Folders can be placed into a predefined space such as a window. Application programs appear as unique icons that can be activated when a pointer, positioned by the movement of a mouse over the icon, is energized usually by double clicking one of the mouse buttons.
Applications are the programs that apply to the computer user's work, such as inventory control or document authorship. They are executable files (distinguished here from data files) and include programs for word processing and individual applications. Applications represent actions to be taken with respect to something else. For example, a word processing program is a tool for editing a data file which contains a document. The application permits the user to open the document and change its contents, but representation of the application as an icon is in effect making something which is abstract to the user into something concrete. It would be more intuitive to most users simply to open the document. Representing applications in the desk top metaphor makes the interface action oriented as opposed to an object oriented. Introducing action oriented graphics to the desktop metaphor is inconsistent with that metaphor, and can be counter intuitive to the user.
An office worker typically is interested in the things made using applications, not in the applications themselves. Thus practical problems confront a user when aspects of the graphical user interface become action oriented. First, a user must go to a separate application for each new action taken on a user data file. Because of this, the flow of the user's work on a user data file is interrupted while the user looks for applications to employ on the user data file and directs the computer to begin execution of the application.
While the advantages of an object oriented graphic user interface have been recognized for several years, its introduction to personal computers has been limited by the marketing advantages to an operating system vendor in not introducing an operating system incompatible with a large number of existing application programs. Many application vendors have gone to great expense in producing and marketing programs adapted for the mixed object-action metaphor. It is important for the operating system vendor to adapt the presentation layer provided with its operating system to existing applications and simultaneously eliminate the inconsistencies in presentation currently seen by users of Microsoft's Windows and IBM's Presentation Manager.
There is a need to allow use of application programs written for contemporary action-oriented presentation models with an object oriented graphic user interface. It is best if this method works with most if not all existing applications, and that the method be transparent to the end user. It would also be advantageous if no burden or complication be placed on developers of application programs. All new or old applications on a system should behave in a similar manner in the interface.